US Coast Guard repatriates 65 migrants to Haiti

MIAMI, USA – The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Venturous repatriated 65 migrants to Haiti, Tuesday, following an interdiction of a migrant venture near Great Inagua, The Bahamas.

A good Samaritan notified watchstanders in the Seventh Coast Guard District command center of a sailing vessel in distress, on March 7.

“The Coast Guard’s primary mission as a member of the Homeland Security Task Force- Southeast is to preserve human life at sea,” said Capt. Willie Carmichael, Incident Commander for Operation Vigilant Sentry. “The maritime environment is inherently dangerous and can become deadly aboard crowded unseaworthy vessels. The Coast Guard will continue working with our HSTF-SE partners to rescue and repatriate anyone attempting irregular migration via sea routes, regardless of their nationality.”

Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter, and basic medical attention. Coast Guard crews repatriated 131 migrants to Haiti in fiscal year 2024, which began on October 1, 2023.

The Coast Guard and its Homeland Security Task Force – Southeast partners will continue to be a presence in the air and on the waters of the Florida Straits and the Caribbean to detect and deter attempts to enter the US unlawfully, by sea.